By Rob Potter

March 21, 2003 – Roscoe

Overall Record: 8-12

League Record: 4-6 OCIAA Division V

Top Performers: Senior guard Brian Ballard led the Blue Devil offense, averaging 14.9 points per game. Ballard also was the team leader in assists (4.2 per game) and steals with (two per game.)
Fellow senior Dan Park added 11.3 points per game.
Junior Tim Haas was the team’s leading rebounder. He grabbed 108 rebounds on the season, an average of 5.4 per game.

Season Highlight(s): “We were disappointed with an 8-12 record and the fact that we didn’t make the [sectional] tournament, but we had some good games and big wins,” Coach Fred Ahart said. “The game we won at Sullivan West was a big game. It was important to us because of the many athletic ties we have with the [SW] component schools.
“Beating Tri-Valley was a good win for us and beating Chapel Field was a good win. That was our final game of the season and it was a good win for our seniors. It was kind of neat to win that last game because not many teams end their season with a win.”
Ahart also noted that another highlight was beating rival Livingston Manor at home in a late February game. The Blue Devils trailed by 14 points at halftime but rallied in the second half to score an 11-point win.

Season Lowlight(s): “Our start to the season,” Ahart said. “We got off to a bad start and had an 0-4 record. We had three players – Dave Eggleton, Tim Haas and Travis O’Dell – out with injuries at that time.
“And it was a disappointment not qualifying for the sectional tournament.”

Other: Ahart noted that he will miss the seven seniors who were on the team this season. Those graduating Blue Devils are Ballard, Dusty Bury, Eggleton, Rob Evans, Greg Feeney, O’Dell and Park.